Eeplay officials rejected Melvins argument. On Friday,

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The World Series champions have failed to make the postseason for the fourth year in a row.Kendrys Morales and Alex Gordon keyed an eighth-inning rally and Kansas City beat the Minnesota Twins 5-2 on Wednesday night, but the Royals were still knocked out of playoff contention.The defending World Series champs were eliminated when Baltimore beat Toronto 3-2 earlier Wednesday.Obviously wed like to be playing a lot more baseball, but the reality of it is were not, said Eric Hosmer, who hit a two-run homer in the third.Morales ground-rule double to right scored Jarrod Dyson, who had doubled and stole third. Gordons single scored Whit Merrifield and pinch-runner Billy Burns.Dyson said he would not be watching postseason games.Its kind of sad and tough to watch postseason when youre not in it, Dyson said.The Twins, who have lost 10 of 11, have dropped 102 games, tying the 1982 team for its highest total since moving to Minnesota for the 1961 season. The Washington Senators lost a franchise-worst 113 games in 1904.Were trying to win games, but its becoming difficult, Twins right-hander Ervin Santana said. But, I think we just try to do too much and we forgot about the little things. Its a game. You just have to prepare to be better for the next year.Taylor Rogers (3-1), the fourth of five Twins pitchers, took the loss after allowing three runs, three hits and two walks while retiring only one of the six batters he faced.Joakim Soria (5-8) worked a scoreless eighth to pick up the victory. Wade Davis got his 27th save in 30 chances.Royals left-hander Jason Vargas tossed five shutout innings, allowing four hits, striking out six and walking one. He threw 53 strikes in 87 pitches, leaving with a 2-0 lead in his third start since having Tommy John surgery in 2015. Vargas finishes with a 2.25 ERA, allowing three runs and eight hits while striking out 11 and walking three in 12 innings.It was nice to have a reward as far as having some success once I was able to step underneath the lights and really get out there for real, Vargas said. Going into the offseason, I was just hoping for health as far as being able to have the normal offseason. So to have a nice outing like this before is a nice comfortable feeling.Rookie Kevin McCarthy, however, did not hold the lead for long. McCarthy yielded a two-run two-out home run to Kennys Vargas in the sixth. After McCarthy walked the next two batters, Peter Moylan was summoned to face John Ryan Murphy, retiring him on a comebacker.The Vargas homer snapped a Twins streak of 106 innings without more than one run. According to Elias, it is the longest such streak in the majors since the Philadelphia Phillies went 109 innings in 1942 without scoring multiple runs.We just kind of stagnated from there, Twins manager Paul Molitor said.Hosmer hit a two-run homer, his 25th, off Santana in the third. The Royals did not get another hit until Dysons one-out double in the eighth.NO REPEATThe Royals follow the San Francisco Giants (in 2013 and 15) and Boston Red Sox (in 2014) in failing to reach the playoffs after winning the World Series.ATTENDANCE DECLINEThe Wednesday attendance of 23,437 pushed the Royals season total to 2,445,361 after 77 home dates. After 77 Kauffman Stadium dates last year, the Royals had pulled 2,564,750 through the turnstiles, a decline of 119,389.ZERO AT KCThe Twins dropped to 0-9 at Kauffman Stadium. They have never finished a season winless at Kansas City.TRAINERS ROOMTwins: 1B Joe Mauer (hamstring injury) was not in the lineup, but Molitor said he was available to pinch hit.Royals: OF Lorenzo Cain, who has played only one game in September because of left wrist inflammation, will not play again this season. There is no need to push him, Royals manager Ned Yost said.UP NEXTTwins: RHP Kyle Gibson, who went to the University of Missouri, will make his 11th career start against the Royals.Royals: LHP Danny Duffy is 1-0 with a 1.93 ERA in three outings against the Twins this season. Cheap Air Max Wholesale . -- San Francisco 49ers linebacker Ahmad Brooks was fined $15,570 by the NFL on Wednesday for his hit on Saints quarterback Drew Brees last Sunday. Cheap Air Max Sale . They were putting most of their energy into a record-setting offensive display. http://www.airmaxireland.com/ . Fellow centre Pavel Datsyuk remains out because of a concussion. Zetterberg has 11 goals and 19 assists for a team-high 30 points, and Datsyuk has a team-high 12 goals and 11 assists. Air Max Ireland . After Gasquet beat fifth-seeded Ivan Dodig of Croatia 7-5, 6-3, Tsonga followed up with a 6-7 (3), 6-2, 6-2 win against sixth-seeded Edouard Roger-Vasselin in an all-French match. Air Max Ireland Sale . 31, the CFL club announced Monday. The team also has yet to decide on the future of Doug Berry, who began the season as a consultant to the head coach but took over the offensive co-ordinators duties in July. OAKLAND, Calif. -- Just two days into his major league career, Ryon Healy isnt wasting any time carving out a name for himself.The Oakland Athletics third baseman hit a three-run homer for his first hit in the majors in a 5-4 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays on Saturday.He certainly has some power and he showed up today big for us, As manager Bob Melvin said.The 24-year-old Healy was called up from Triple-A Sacramento for the first time on Friday.I think you have to believe that you belong, he said. No matter where you are in life, you have to believe that you belong and just run with that.Khris Davis homered twice for Oakland and Sonny Gray snapped a 12-game winless streak. It was Davis ninth career multi-homer game, three of which came this season. The As have homered six times in two games, three of them by Davis.They are 12-10 since a dreadful stretch from May 1 to June 19 in which they lost 29 of 44.The Blue Jays, whod won eight of nine games going into the All-Star break, lost to Oakland for a second straight day to start the second half.Gray (4-8) ended a career-worst seven game skid. He was 0-7 with a 6.16 ERA over his previous 12 starts. He allowed three runs on six hits and four walks in six innings.Its been a really weird road in between wins, Gray said. Its been a long time and thereve been a lot of things that have happened. You just try and go out there and compete, I dont think its any secret things havent gone as you would hope the majority of the year.Healy crushed a 66 mph pitch off knuckleballer R.A. Dickey (7-10) for his three-run shot to left that highlighted a four-run rally in the bottom of the second inning.Thats the first slow knuckleball Ive thrown in four years that got hit out for a home run, Dickey said. I thought it would be a safe pitch. I was trying to find the speed it was moving most and today it was the harder. I felt good all day.Dickey hadnt allowed a three-run homer this season.Healy said hed never faced a knuckleballer at any level.I kind of peeked up and I was hoping it was going to stay fair because I saw it starting too fade a little bit, he said.ddddddddddddOnce it went out a big rush of adrenaline went through me.Dickey, whod won five of his previous eight starts, allowed five runs on five hits, including three homers, and three walks in six innings.Josh Thole was 2 for 3 with a two-run double for the Blue Jays and Edwin Encarnacion hit his 24th homer leading off the top of the third off Gray.Justin Smoak hit a solo homer, his 10th, off As closer Ryan Madson, who pitched the ninth for his 19th save.CHALLENGING TIMESA day after a replay ruling on a play at the plate figured prominently in an As 8-7 win, home plate was the center of two more challenges -- on the same play. After Blue Jays manager John Gibbons challenge overturned an As scoring play in the bottom of the seventh inning, As manager Bob Melvin challenged the reversal, contending that catcher Thole blocked Marcus Semiens path to the plate. Replay officials rejected Melvins argument. On Friday, Josh Reddick scored the tiebreaking run on a play at the plate that was overturned on a challenge.TRAINERS ROOMAthletics: C Josh Phegley, on the disabled list since July 2 with a strained right knee, could resume baseball activities within a week. ... LHP Sean Doolittle, out since June 26 with a left shoulder strain, could start throwing within a week. ... No timetable has been established for RHPs Henderson Alvarez (right shoulder surgery) and Fernando Rodriguez (right shoulder strain), out since March 25 and July 4.UP NEXTBlue Jays: LHP J.A. Happ is 6-0 with a 2.73 ERA over his last six starts. The Blue Jays are averaging 10.1 runs over that stretch. Happ (12-3, 3.36 ERA) has already tied his career high for wins in a season.Athletics: In his last seven starts, LHP Rich Hill is 6-0 with a 2.05 ERA with no home runs allowed. He is 1-0 with a 3.00 ERA in two starts since coming off the disabled list (left groin strain) on July 1. He is 1-1 with a 4.76 ERA in 10 career appearances against Toronto. ' ' '